NEVILL HOLT FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CARMEN FOR 2027
BIZET’S MASTERPIECE, PRESENTED WITH OPERA NORTH, WILL BE DIRECTED BY ROBIN NORTON-HALE (8, 12, 17 AND 20 JUNE)
FIRST 2027 PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS ALSO INCLUDE SYMPHONIC IBIZA (5 JUNE), RONNIE SCOTT’S JAZZ ORCHESTRA (11 JUNE), THE JAY RAYNER SEXTET (12 JUNE), GRIMETHORPE COLLIERY BAND (13 JUNE), GABRIELI ROAR (19 JUNE) AND JASON BYRNE (25 JUNE)
Images available here
Nevill Holt Festival has announced the first highlights of its 2027 programme, led by a new production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen, presented with Opera North and directed by multi-award-winning director Robin Norton-Hale, Artistic Director and CEO of English Touring Opera. Performances of the opera will take place on 8, 12, 17 and 20 June. The Festival’s main 2027 programme will be announced in January, when tickets for the wider programme will go on sale.
The free-spirited Carmen warns that any man who falls for her should beware. Fiercely independent and unwilling to be possessed, she captures the attention of the soldier Don José. But when desire quickly gives way to jealousy, it results in a devastating struggle for freedom. This tale of passion, power and fate unfolds against the stunning backdrop of Nevill Holt Theatre’s 400-seat opera house. With Bizet’s unforgettable score at its heart, including many instantly recognisable melodies, Carmen is opera at its most visceral and compelling. The production will be directed by Robin Norton-Hale.
Bizet composed Carmen with leading librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, adapting Prosper Mérimée’s novella of the same name. Since its premiere in 1875, the opera has become one of the most celebrated works in the repertoire, powered by Bizet’s unforgettable Spanish-inflected score.
David Ross, Founder of Nevill Holt Festival, said: “Opera has always been at the heart of Nevill Holt, and I’m thrilled that our partnership with Opera North will continue in 2027 with one of the greatest and most enduring works in the repertoire. Carmen is a perfect fit for the intimacy of our theatre: passionate, dramatic and filled with extraordinary music, and I’m very excited to see what Robin Norton-Hale brings to it.
“At the same time, Nevill Holt Festival has grown into something much broader, bringing together exceptional artists and performers from across music, culture and the arts. We want people to be able to spend a day here discovering something unexpected, as well as enjoying world-class opera in this remarkable setting. There is much more still to announce for 2027, and we look forward to revealing the main Festival programme in January, but I’m delighted to be able to give audiences this first glimpse of what we have planned.”
Laura Canning, General Director & CEO, Opera North said: “2026 marks our third year performing at Nevill Holt and what better way to celebrate our ongoing partnership than with one of opera’s big-hitters directed by multi-award-winning director Robin Norton-Hale?
"With its compelling storyline and unforgettable melodies, it is little wonder that Carmen continues to captivate audiences worldwide. We look forward to bringing Bizet's electrifying tale of obsession and the inexorability of fate to this stunning theatre - surely one of the most beautiful places to experience opera in the UK.”
Carmen will form the operatic centrepiece of a wide-ranging 2027 programme spanning music, jazz, comedy and cabaret. The Festival opens with Underbelly’s Cabaret All Stars (4 June), returning to the Spiegeltent for an opening party of world-class cabaret, circus and live music, before New Orleans Legends: Wendell and Caroline Brunious(5 June) brings two leading figures from New Orleans’ Preservation Hall tradition to Nevill Holt. Later that evening, Symphonic Ibiza (5 June) returns following its sold-out 2026 debut, combining a live 20-piece orchestra with iconic Ibiza anthems and club classics.
Further music highlights include Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra with Iain Mackenzie (11 June), returning after two sell-out years; The Jay Rayner Sextet (12 June), celebrating the jazz-influenced chart hits of the 1980s; and the legendary Grimethorpe Colliery Band (13 June), one of the world’s most celebrated brass ensembles and the band made famous by Brassed Off. Cuban piano virtuoso and former Buena Vista Social Club pianist Rolando Lunareturns with the Havana Jazz Trio on 18 June.
On 19 June, Gabrieli Roar presents Baroque Masters in collaboration with The David Ross Foundation, bringing secondary school students from the David Ross Educational Trust together with world-class professional musicians.
Comedy also forms part of the first programme announcement, with Irish comedian Jason Byrne returning to Nevill Holt for a third consecutive year on 25 June with brand-new material, before Underbelly’s Cabaret All Stars returns on 26 June for a spectacular closing party and Festival finale in the Spiegeltent.
Carmen continues Nevill Holt Festival’s partnership with Opera North, which began in 2025 with a sell-out production of Così fan tutte, followed by Donizetti’s Don Pasquale in 2026. Opera remains at the heart of the Festival as it continues to develop a broader programme across music, performance, comedy, conversation and the arts.
The main programme for Nevill Holt Festival 2027 will be announced in January, when tickets for the wider Festival programme will go on sale.
Tickets for Carmen and the events announced today will be available through priority booking for Festival Patrons from 20 October 2026, Festival Champions from 27 October, and Festival Friends and Under 35s from 3 November, before genera
